


This Will Be Our Year

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, snk - Fandom
Genre: 1970s AU, A lot of them are gay as hell, Alcohol because they're teenagers, Drugs because it's the 70s, Especially Marco, Everyone actually lives for once, Everyone's going to be drunk off their asses a lot, F/F, Frustrated teenagers in general, M/M, Sex with consent, Sexually frustrated teenagers, There's not way I'll be able to do this without multiple POV's so I mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:31:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the summer of 1977 in New York. 1977 is a year for trying new things, getting together with friends, and totally fucking everything up at least twice a month. (at least it is  Jean Kirstein along with the majority of his idiotic friends)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introducing the Dweebs

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've been wanting to write another 70s AU and I figured It's about damn time I wrote an SNK fic so this is the result. (my apologies to basically anyone who reads this)  
> I also have a habit of naming 70s AU's after song titles from The Zombies so I'm just kinda¯\\_( ° ʖ °)_/¯

**Jean's POV**

     Jean was awoken by the excruciatingly loud ring of the telephone sounding off down stairs. It probably wasn't _that_ loud, but being woken abruptly on the verge of a hangover made everything that much more unbearable. He groaned, rolling on his side and folding his pillow over his ears as some form of a shield against the shrilling ring. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to block out the sound and no one else was around to answer it.  _Who the hell would be calling this early in the morning, anyway?_ Except it wasn't early; it wasn't even morning, actually. "Fucking christ," he muttered, fusing all the will he had in his body together in order to actually sit up from the pool of blankets surrounding his middle. He mumbled a filament of curses, ignoring the bulge in his pants he was oh so blessed with every morning. "Who the  _fuck_ -" he groaned, cutting his words off once his toe came in contact with his night stand. "Fuck!" 

     The phone was still ringing when Jean managed to get to it. If you squinted hard enough, you could probably see the grey thundering cloud hung above his head. "What do you want?" he growled into the receiver, rubbing at his eyes before attempting to untangle the phone cord. "Good afternoon to you too, grouch ass."  _Eren._ Jean sighed, finally giving up with trying to untangle the monstrosity of cord before turning his full attention to the little shit on the other end of the line, "What the hell do you want from me now, shithead?" Eren only laughed, "You don't have much bark to your bite, horse-face. Did I wake up sleeping beauty?"  _This is the last thing I need in the morning,_ Jean thought. "Damn right I'm a beauty. What did you wake me up for? It better be fucking good." his voice evened out a bit more, sounding less like a croaking frog and more like its usual ' _I'm pissed off all the time._ ' tone. "Me and the gang are thinking about meeting up at Marco's at around 9 since his older bro is leaving to visit one of his friends at a college or some shit like that. I think he's supposed to be gone for a few days." Jean nodded, "Yeah, Marco told me something like that the other night. He sounded pretty nervous about being home on his own," he breathed out a laugh, smiling at the memory of the concerned look etched on Marco's features. Eren sighed, "He's such a dweeb. Well, anyway, be there at 9, dick face." 

*

     Of course, since Jean was Jean, he'd probably show up at Marco's 2 hours early. Out of their little group, Marco was the one that somehow managed his way to Jean's heart.  _Much to Jean's denial, he doesn't 'love' Marco, they're just best friends. Honestly though, he's not fooling anyone, (except Marco)._

     Jean took a quick shower, ruffling his hair with a towel he picked off from his bedroom floor. Marco always pestered him about the 'unhealthy' filth that littered his bedroom, but he argued that Marco's wasn't much better.  _Honestly, the kid has a cup of pudding that's been there for god knows how long._ Next came the tattered Pink Floyd shirt that he stole from Reiner last year. It was baggy on Jean's figure, and only made him look even thinner once he cut the loose sleeves off to reveal the majority of his sides. It was hot as all hell outside, so he decided a pair year of old swim trunks wouldn't hurt. He looked like a total bum, especially with the messy mop of damp hair that spilled over the top of his head, pouring a few fine strands just past his brows. He checked the time, 7:53, "Ehhh, close enough." he said aloud, throwing his rucksack over his shoulder and grabbing a pair of worn sneakers that probably weren't even his before heading out. 

*

     "Honey, I'm home!" Jean shouted as he barged into Marco's house. Jean was the king of unwelcome surprises, but Marco seemed to be the only one that welcomed them with an open smile. Jean allowed his rucksack to slink down his shoulder, eventually trailing behind him onto the floor once he began searching for Marco. "Marco?" Jean called, glancing into the kitchen. "Polo!" he heard Marco call from somewhere past the living room. Jean breathed a light chuckle, walking towards the living room. He felt the warm honey suckle air flood into the living room as it streamed from the open back door. "What are you doing out here? It's hot as hell," Jean muttered the last part, stepping out from the living room into the backyard. He found Marco perched on the old wooden swing they built together back when they were younger. Jean smiled, "I'm surprised your big ass hasn't broken that yet." Marco pulled his lips into an exaggerated frown, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his head high. "My ass is proportionally sized, thank you very much." Jean rolled his eyes, "You're so bogue." 

     Marco ignored the empty insult, picking a piece of bark from the tree and placing it on Jean's head as he sat down on the grass. "Hey! Come on now, I just took a shower," Marco grinned, "Oh, I thought you were just sweaty." Jean glared at him, eyes widening in recognition before narrowing again, "Are those _my_ shorts?" he prodded at the fabric with his finger, they were indeed his shorts. "You left them at my house last week." Marco shrugged, a faint blush creeping under his freckles. "How in the hell did I manage to do that?" Jean asked, feeling his own face get hot.  _It's just the summer heat, idiot,_  he reminded himself. "I have no idea," he paused for a moment, "Maybe Mikasa knows, she was the only one that wasn't completely drunk, if I remember right." Jean allowed the image of poor Mikasa having to deal with a drunk Jean in his underwear, shuddering at the thought. 

     "Speaking of getting drunk," Jean started with a sly grin, "You got the beer from Reiner, right?" Marco nodded with a smile, "Yep! He dropped it off right after Mason left for his trip," Jean nodded in return, "How long is he supposed to be there, anyway? Eren told me it would be a few days or some shit." "Probably 3 days unless there's problems with traffic," Marco replied, pinching a leaf stem between his fingers before tossing it at Jean. "Hey," he muttered, grabbing a twig and throwing it into the other's hair. "Oh, I see how it is." Marco grinned, stretching across the ropes of the swing to grab some more bark from the tree. "Oh, not this time, speed racer." he smirked, shoving the swing as hard as he could with the heal of his shoe. "Shit-" Marco stuttered, flopping over the wooden platform of the swing and falling head-first into Jean's gut. "OOF-" Marco let out a giggle that was muffled by Jean's shirt, Jean in return letting out a sore grunt. "You just head-butted me in the-" 

     "Woah, woah, woah, am I interrupting something here?" Connie grinned, leaning against the back door frame. Jean shoved Marco back in an instant, scrambling to his feet. Marco fell back, hitting his head on the tree with a loud thump. "Ow!" he whined, the blush splaying across his cheeks being bright enough to light an entire village. "Can it, bone-head." Jean muttered, dusting off his swim trunks before turning to see Marco cradling his head. "Oh-" Jean sighed, holding his hand out for Marco to take. Once he was on his feet, Marco shoved Jean in the ribs, "Jerk." Jean only smiled, "Yeah, okay Buddy Holly wannabe," Marco frowned, "Am not-" "Alright, are you two love-birds finished? We have some beer that needs cooling down before the others get here," Connie smirked at the two of them over his shoulder before going back into the house. 

*

     Within a little less than an hour, the house is flooded with sounds of laughter and death threats, (most of the death threats were from Eren). Reiner and Bertholdt are already having a drinking contest in-spite of the beers still being lukewarm. Annie and Mikasa are splayed across one of the couches and sharing a bag of chips. Christa is sitting in Ymir's lap while Armin pouts as Connie tries to braid his hair, and Eren is attempting to drop ice cubes down Jean's shorts while he's distracted with Marco. "Hey, has anyone heard anything from Sasha?" asked Connie as he added the finishing touches to Armin's hair. "She said she'd be late." Annie confirmed through the crisp bite of a potato chip. 

     Jean prodded at the freckles on Marco's face, Marco replying with careless swats to ward him off, "It's not like they're gonna rub off!" he complained, stifling a laugh as Jean attempted to poke at another that was on just above his jawline. "Hmmm, really? Let's make sure just in case-" he licked the tip of his thumb, tumbling through Marco's attempted shield which happened to be one of the throw-pillows that now littered the living room floor. "Gross!" he shouted as Jean's spit-coated thumb swiped across the bridge of his nose. Jean laughed as Marco scrunched up his nose, rubbing furiously at the spit with the back of his hand.

     "That's probably the closest thing you've gotten to a kiss, Marco. I'm proud of you." Eren snorted, dodging Marco's foot that nearly came in contact with his crotch. "Looks like ya missed-FUCK!" he slurred his words together, falling back into the dividing wall of the kitchen and living room. "Shit, Jean!" Eren cursed, holding his hands between his legs as he slumped closer and closer to the floor. Marco was attempting to cover his laugh with the pillow, but it didn't do much to stifle the gasps of laughter that seeped into the air. "I'm going to fucking get you good, you horse-fucker." Eren managed to say through clenched teeth. "Yeah, okay pretty boy." Jean mused, stepping around Eren's body to grab a couple of beers from the make-shift ice box. "Catch it, Freckles!" Jean called, tossing the beer over to Marco. He caught it with ease, "I've taught you well," Jean teased, snapping the cap off with the tip of a butter knife before leaning over to do the same to Marco's.

**REINER'S POV**

 Reiner and Bertholdt eventually took a break from their drinking contest once Reiner already downed 3 beers. Now they lay on one of the love seats, Bertholdt's body splayed across Reiner's lap to where his feet were dangling off the edge. "Is it just me or are those two starting to get more..." Bertholdt trailed off, gesturing to Jean and Marco on the other end of the living room. "Gay." Reiner deadpanned, chuckling at the small shove Bertholdt sent into his stomach with one of his bony elbows. "I think we're contagious," Bertholdt replied in a low tone, smiling at the sputtered laugh that left Reiner's lips. 

      Reiner nodded after a moment, observing as Marco blushed at something Jean said. "Yeah, I'm starting to see it a lot more than usual, too." "See what?" Mikasa asked as she grabbed a beer from the cooler. Bertholdt shook his head in the direction of the two, raising his brows with a sly grin. Mikasa caught on instantly, giving a faint nod once she took a sip from her beverage. "The only one's they're fooling are each other." she mused, "Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't caught on yet." Reiner and Bertholdt both nodded their heads in agreement, "Yeah, I mean, Jean's always been that one guy that's kinda flirty in general in that weird way but when he's with Marco he's more-" "Gay." Reiner stated again, this time getting a light chuckle from Mikasa. "How much you guys wanna bet they won't even realize  they _like_ each other until one of them does something so incredibly gay  that it won't be able to go unnoticed?" asked Bertholdt. "That  _is_  how you two finally got together," Mikasa pointed out over the rim of her bottle. 

      Everyone's attention turned to Sasha, "Look who finally decided to show up!" Connie grinned, grabbing a beer and handing it to her as she entered the room. "Oh can it, hunk." she grinned, elbowing him playfully.

     "You know, I think Connie's the only person in our group that I'm sure is at least 80% straight." Reiner noted aloud, Mikasa and Bertholdt both nodding in agreement. "Except that one time he was so high, he tried to make out with Armin," Mikasa paused, "I don't even think he was  _that_  high, actually." "That's why I said at least 80%." 

*******

     By 2 AM, Mikasa had driven Armin and Annie to their homes before practically carrying a passed out Eren into their own house. Ymir carried Christa home since she didn't live far from Marco. Marco and Jean passed out in the backyard, (much to Reiner's amusement). Sasha had practically passed out in the hallway before Connie guided her to Reiner's car so he could drop the two of them off at Connie's place. Bertholdt fell asleep on the car ride back to Reiner's which resulted in Reiner giving up and allowing himself to fall asleep in the driver's seat of his 1969 Dodge with Bertholdt's head slumped against his chest. 

     

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter is pretty lame but I just wanted to make some form of an introduction to all these lame jerks. xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's gonna get some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for all the 50s references even though this is supposed to be a damn 70s fic. Enjoy the intense gay love, my friends.

**MARCO'S POV**

The incandescent summer sun was smothered by wispy grey clouds; indicating that rain was on its way. Marco was the first to wake up, a soft groan hissing through his teeth as he attempted to turn on his side. His chest came in contact with something- _someone_. He let out another groan, opening his eyes only to be blinded by the bright grey sky and close them again. His head pounded at every wisp of wind or distant sound. He opened his eyes in small slits, glancing beside him to see Jean splayed out on the dew-covered grass; soft snores sounding from the back of his throat. "Jean," Marco murmured, nudging at him but getting no response. "Jean, get up. We fell asleep in my backyard," he tried again, receiving a faint grumble in reply. Once Marco tried to wake him up the third time, Jean let out a louder grumble, flopping over on his side with half his body tumbling over Marco's. 

     Jean woke with a sudden cacophony, rolling entirely over Marco's body before landing on the other side of him with a loud groan. "Fuck-What-" he opened his eyes and soon regretted it as light flooded into his vision, strengthening the pain between his eyes. "Dammit," he muttered, throwing an arm dramatically over his eyes. "Morning to you too, cool cat." Marco lilted, slowly sitting up from his previous position and instantly groaning at the pain that pounded through his skull. "Shit- This feels like shit," he groaned, covering his eyes with the palms of his hands. Jean smirked at Marco's habit of cursing during a hangover, folding his hands behind his head instead of sitting up. Marco rubbed at his eyes some more before peering at Jean, "Where is your shirt?" he asked through a light laugh. Jean looked down at his bare chest before looking to Marco's clothed one. "The better question is why are you wearing two shirts," Jean mused, laughing as Marco pulled at the fabrics wrapped around his torso. 

*

     "I'd ask if you want eggs or something, but the fridge is practically empty," Marco said, grabbing 2 bottles of water and handing one to Jean. "Did Mason leave you any money?" he asked through a gulp from his bottle. Marco watched a bead of water trickle down Jean's lip, his eyes following it as it trailed down to his jawline before dripping onto his bare chest. "What? Oh, yeah-" Marco turned abruptly to gather the money his brother left him and also to hide the obvious blush creeping into his features. "He left 20 bucks," Marco said, enraptured. "That should be enough for food  _and_ some extra coins for the arcade," Jean added, getting up from one of the kitchen chairs. "Lemme' grab a shirt or something and we can head out!" he called over his shoulders as he navigated himself to Marco's room. 

*

     The walk to the grocery store didn't take long. Marco fretted over Jean's hair, pulling blades of grass out of it from the previous night. Jean picked a few out of Marco's as well, the two of them laughing as they tried to remember how the hell they ended up in the backyard. After coming to no specific conclusion, they shrugged it off and eventually entered the store. 

     Jean automatically headed for the snack isle, dragging Marco with him. "Ohhh, we should get these," he said with an ebullient tone. Marco narrowed his eyes at the box, "Cookies...For breakfast?" Jean stuck his tongue out, folding the box under his arm, "It's almost 1 in the afternoon," Marco nodded in agreement, "True. Hey, let's get some lemonade." 

*

   **ARMIN'S POV**

Armin woke up at nearly 4 in the afternoon with, luckily, no hangover. He didn't drink that much last night, and he also remembered to drink loads of water before going to sleep because he wasn't an irresponsible drinker like Eren. (at least he was responsible most of the time.) The radio on his nightstand spewed vintage crackles of The Skyliners,

      _I don't have anything since I don't have you._

          Armin groaned, leaving the radio on as he stared up at his bedroom ceiling. The only thing that old 50s music did to him was make him feel like some lonely teen heart-throb. "I'm not lonely, I have plenty of friends," he argued aloud, letting out a frustrated huff of breath. He turned on his side, facing the radio and giving it a cold glare. It only continued to sing, the vintage crackle coalescing into the stale air of his bedroom. Armin sighed, sitting up from his bed and shoving the blankets aside. The sudden realization of how hot it actually was in his room hit him in strong waves of instant heat. He sighed again, pushing his hair into some form of a pony tail before grabbing an elastic band to keep it in place. Having a bedroom in the attic had its pros, but having all the hot air crammed into your room during the summer was definitely a con.   _  
_

He approached the circular window, pushing it open as the old wood frame creaked in protest. More hot air flooded his room, hardly cooling it off at all. After the 7th love song played, Armin decided to switch through the radio to another channel. He settled for a station that was currently playing a song by The Zombies before pulling off his night shirt. Eventually, Armin gave up on trying to find a shirt to wear that wouldn't suffocate him in the heat and decided to go without one since he was bound to just hang around his place all day. He decided to go downstairs and hault the grumbles that his stomach was producing loud and clear. "Are ya' just now waking up?" asked Armin's sister, Charlotte. "Shut up, Char, you're not much better than I am." Armin replied. Charlotte stuck her tongue out at the older of the two before turning her attention back to whatever was on the television.

     The phone practically rattled from its perch on the wall as it rang, "I'll get it!" Char called, running to answer it. "Hello? Oh, it's you-Shut up, pansey!" she growled into the receiver before turning to Armin, "It's one of your dumb friends." she groaned, waiting for Armin to get up and take the phone before stomping away. "Eren?" Armin asked into the receiver, figuring Eren was the only one out of his friends to argue with a 12 year old girl. "Ew, don't ever mistake me for that gross piece of shit," Jean muttered.  _Make that one of the two friends that would argue with a 12 year old girl._ Armin sighed, stiffling his laugh, "What's going down, Jean?" Armin asked, leaning against the wall. "Marco and I-" there was a faint giggle, followed by Jean's laughter. "Marco, quit-Oh my god-" Armin cleared his throat dramatically, "Oh, yeah well anyway, Sasha wants us all to go down to the movies-No, Marco, I'm not going to call it a passion pit-" his voice got distant, faint crackles from the shit reception covering up his voice. "-to see that one movie with that freaky chick-The Excorsist! Yeah, that one, there's a second one that just came out," Armin heard Marco's voice faintly, "Okay, yeah, it's going to play around 9 or some shit tomorrow. We'll all meet up at Sasha's-Oh, and call Mr.Shithead to fill him in on the deeds." Armin barely got another word in before Jean promptly ended the call.  

*

     The rest of Armin's night consisted of eating, avoiding his grandfather as much as possible once he got home from work, and walking aimlessly around the block until the balmy night air soaked his hair with sweat.

*

**EREN'S POV**

 Although every last vestige of his hangover had dwindled away over the day, Eren didn't have the will to sleep. He attempted sleeping on his side opposed to his stomach, then his back, then on the floor, but his mind still buzzed with nothing in particular to think about and it was agonizing. With a final growl of frustration, he slung his legs over the side of his bed and checked the time.  _1:27 AM._ He briefly thought about calling Armin or Connie, hell, he was desperate enough to call  _Jean._ He shook the idea off, figuring if anyone was awake they'd either be in a pissy mood or high off their ass. He finally decided that taking a walk down to the arcade was better than sweating his ass off in his room, pulling on a loose shirt and a pair of pants that were torn and frayed an inch from its life. He made sure to pocket some quarters in his jacket before shrugging it on in low hopes that whoever took care of the arcade may have forgotten to lock up as they have done a few times in the past. 

     The semi-cool night air was refreshing compared to the suffocating heat in Eren's home. It wasn't much cooler than it was earlier in the day, but it still felt good. Eren shifted his eyes about, the only light that lead him to the arcade being the few street lamps and glowing neon signs of the two bars he passed by. The arcade was a place that everyone pretended to be too old for, seeking refuge in its confines every once and a while when no one else was around to judge them for it. As Eren approached the arcade, he admired the way it looked in the early morning atmosphere. Its deep purple outside was scraped and chipped of paint in some places, and the letters 'R' and 'E' were out so it looked as though it was spelled 'ACAD' in its inky surroundings. Eren placed his hand on the entrance door handle, holding in his breath as he tried to pull it open. It obliged, opening with a faint squeak. He sighed in relief, tip-toeing into the arcade and quietly closing the door as if someone else was around to hear him. 

     "I thought I locked that." the voice startled Eren,  _it just so happens someone else is around._ Eren stood stock-still, not daring to peer around the corner to see who the voice belonged to. He heard a mellow-dramatic sigh, "I know you're there, brat, I'm not going to call the damn cops." Eren slowly leaned off from the wall, cautiously approaching the corner until he was far enough to see a man sitting on the arcade floor. He looked rather small for someone with a deep, metallic voice-"What is a brat like you doing here at 2 in the fucking morning?" he grumbled, his eyebrows drawn deep over the dark lids of his eyes. Eren stood, stunned as he observed the other- He had a tool box perched between his legs, a wrench in one hand and some kind of wire in the other. He was leaning against a Galaga game, a small door on the side hanging open with jumbles of wires and metal pieces hidden inside. "I-I couldn't sleep." he stated dumbly, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. 

     The man sighed, "I'd ask you if you'd want to help me empty out the rest of these damn things-" he said, gesturing to the arcade, "but I don't want your filthy hands stealing any quarters," Eren didn't know what to say that would convince the man that he wasn't a thief, so he said nothing. It was silent between them for a while, allowing Eren to observe him some more. His hair was black, or at least it looked black in the dim arcade light, and his eyebrows were strangely thin- "Here's a screwdriver, if you fuck up any of these machines or steal anything I'll kick your ass," he gave in, rummaging through the tool box before fishing out a screw driver and reaching it out to Eren. Eren approached slowly, taking the screwdriver from the man's hands and allowing their fingers to brush together. "I-" Eren started, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a handful of coins. He produced them to the other, placing them on the floor in front of him. The man looked at him with confusion, waiting for him to clarify. "Those are my quarters I brought. If you want to check me to make sure I didn't steal any after I'm done, you can. I put them there so you'll know they're mine and I didn't steal them," he then reached into his pants pockets and pulled them inside-out to show that they were void of coins. 

     Levi nodded in approval, a faint smirk forming on his lips, "Smart brat, then," he said under his breath, not giving Eren a second glance as he turned back to his work. "The opening coin-slot is on the right side for most of em'." he called over his shoulder, "Except for the PAC-MAN on the far right end, it's opening is up front. Oh, and grab a bucket from over there," he finished, shaking his head to the right as a gesture to the stack of plastic buckets resting on the floor. Eren nodded, "I-thanks," he breathed, grabbing a bucket before awkwardly clambering off to the farthest corner. It took a few minutes to get the first slot open, but after his third machine, he began getting the hang of it. Eren got up from his spot, wondering how much time has gone by but not really caring. He stepped over the bucket of coins, walking towards Levi to retrieve another one. He was still working on Galaga, mumbling a filament of curses as a wire snapped. "Hey, brat, could you get me that coil of wires over there?" he asked, nudging his shoulder in the direction of the other supplies he had next to the buckets. "Um-Yea," he replied quietly, grabbing the small coil and handing it to the man. "Thanks br-what's your name?" he asked suddenly, glancing at Eren for a moment before turning back to the mess of wires before him. "Eren." he replied. 

     The man nodded, "Thanks, Eren." he said finally, casting a faint smile at the boy. Eren nodded slowly, smiling in return. He wanted to ask the man what his name was, but thought against it before returning to the machines. 

*

     Once Eren was finished, he sat against one of the games in silence. He was nervous to tell the man that he was finished, not wanting to really leave him, but not wanting to upset him either. He felt weird; acting like some sort of quiet, obedient child wasn't something he really did. Eventually, he got up from his not-so-comfortable spot on the cement floor. "Um-What do you want me to do with these buckets?" he asked, glancing at Levi who had just finished polishing the last pinball machine. He threw the dirtied rag into a bin, picking it up and turning to face Eren. "If you have some muscles in those limbs of yours, you can help me carry them out-Follow me." Eren obliged, lifting one of the buckets with a faint grunt. The man had gotten a key from one of his pockets, unlocking a door that blended in with the black colour of the walls. He propped the door open with his foot, wedging it open with a door stopper before disappearing down the dark hall. Eren followed after him, making his way down the short hall before entering a badly lit room that looked like a janitor's closet. The other dropped the bin he was carrying down onto the tile floor, waiting for Eren to do the same. 

*

     The man waited for Eren to exit the arcade before locking the door and shaking it to make sure it stayed locked. Eren dwindled to the side, watching him as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Do you want to search me?" Eren asked finally, feeling his face heat up.  _What the hell? Stop acting like such a wuss,_ Eren scolded himself. The man gave him a weary glance over before reaching for the coins in his pocket and pulling them out. "Pull out your pockets," he instructed. Eren did so, pulling out his pants pockets and sliding out of his jacket to hand it to him for further inspection. The other did it a look over, nodding, "Turn around," Eren did that, too, hearing as the man approached closer. He felt fingertips carefully pull back at his back pockets before the man stepped back. "You're good unless you have some hiding in your underwear or some shit, but I rather not inspect those, too." he handed Eren his jacket, hopefully unable to notice the cherry blush that graced Eren's cheeks.. He took a step closer, presenting Eren with his coins from before. He took them, "Thanks-" he stopped, remembering that he didn't know this guy's name or anything. 

     Levi noticed the abrupt pause, "Levi." he offered with a faint grin. "Thanks, Levi." Eren tried the name on his tongue, deciding that he liked the name. "No problem, brat. Thanks for helping. If it weren't for your restless ass coming down here, I'd be here until 6." Eren nodded, "No problem, it was...Cool, I guess." Levi sighed at his lack of words, but his expression held adoration. After a few more beats of silence, he walked to the drivers-side of his run-down truck and opened the door. He glanced at Eren, "You need a ride or something?" Eren shook his head, "I-No, that's fine." Levi gave him a look over, narrowing his eyes, "Don't be a dumb ass, come on, brat. This is around the time those assholes from the bars start tumbling onto the curb on their drunk asses and you'd be stupid to get yourself into a brawl with one of em' shitheads." Levi climbed into the truck with no further explanation, slamming his door shut and peering at Eren through the side-mirror. Eren decided there was no use in arguing, going on the other side of the truck and jiggling the door open. 

     The inside was surprisingly clean given the rusted, worn-down outside appearance. Levi waited for Eren to buckle his seat belt before turning the ignition. Static filled the air between them as the radio fought to find a proper setting before a velvety voice oozed through the speakers. 

  _I'll be seeing you,in all the old familiar places,_  
 _That this heart of mine embraces,all day through._  
 _In that small cafe, the park across the way,_  
 _The children's carousel, the chestnut trees,_  
 _the wishing,wishing well._

Eren thought he heard the song before, sitting back and listening to the chorus as it whaled faintly. "Where am I taking you?" Levi asked, allowing the car to start at a sluggish pace. "Oh-keep going straight until you pass by the second bar, then make a left and then turn right at the first stop sign. My place'll be right there," Levi nodded, picking up the pace just barely. After a few more moments of silence, Eren decided to speak up, "The Skyliners, right?" he asked, gesturing to the radio. Levi turned his head to look at Eren, a small smile forming slowly on his lips. "Didn't expect a brat like you to know em'." Eren laughed gingerly, "I've got a friend that's obsessed with the whole 50s thing." Levi smiled at that, "They've got good taste, then." 

     Eren admired the way the light hit Levi's features while stripes of light disappeared and reappeared as they sped past street lamps. Levi took another glance, catching Eren's stare, "You've got big wondering eyes, brat." he commented, causing Eren to rip his gaze away instantly. Levi chuckled, turning just as they passed the second bar. Once they rounded the stop sign, Eren sat up more straight and unfastened his seat belt. "The white house right there," Levi nodded, slowing the car to a shaking hault at the tip of Eren's driveway. Eren placed his hand on the car handle, shifting to face Levi, "Thanks Le-" he waited a moment, a smirk growing on his features, "Brat." he attempted to open the door and make a clean getaway, holding onto his clever remark with dignity. Unfortunately, the door wouldn't budge. Levi gave him a pointed glare before breathing out a chuckle, "Nice try, dumb ass." he leaned across Eren, swatting his hand away gingerly before giving the handle a good jerk. The door broke free, swinging open at an alarmingly fast rate. Eren could feel his face heat up again, sliding out of the car and placing his hands on the door. He looked up at Levi, who was watching him with an arched brow, "Thanks for the help,  _brat_." he smiled. Eren laughed before closing the door, neither of the two making an attempt to leave just yet. Eren stared at Levi as the next song droned on,  _Are you lonesome tonight?_ Eren pondered on the lyrics, thinking that he was glad he wans't lonesome that night before Levi interrupted his thoughts. 

     Levi had unfastened his seat belt, leaning over the open truck window lazily. He held out a small piece of paper with numbers scrawled on it between his fingers. Eren was sure his blush was obvious now, taking the small scrap of paper and pocketing it. "Hand me your pen." Eren finally managed to speak, trying to ignore the heat in his face and ears as Levi handed it to him. He reached out his wrist before Eren could tell him to, allowing him to take the small limb into his warm grasp and scrawl his number onto the thin, fair skin. Levi took the pen back once Eren finished, inspecting the number on his wrist with a sly grin. "I'll call you,  _Eren_." he said with a cool undertone and a wink. Eren had no time to reply other than to blush like an idiot as Levi sped away. 

     Eren stood at the end of his driveway at 4:03 in the morning for a good 5 minutes before quietly entering his house, running into his room, and smashing his face into his pillow like a love-struck teen in a cheesy movie. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how many chapters this is going to have, but I do know a lot of my other readers are going to kick my ass for starting another story. /runs away in terror/


End file.
